Pontiac Fiero 1988 Service Manual page 923

INTRODUCTION i
09
DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION
This manual contains the following kinds of
diagnostic information:
• Electrical Schematics
• Component Location Lists
• Harness Connector Faces
• Troubleshooting Hints
• System Checks
• System Diagnoses
• Circuit Operation Descriptions
• Harness Eouting Views
Using these elements together will make elec-
trical troubleshooting faster and easier. Each
element is described below.
The Electrical Schematic should always be
your starting point in using this Electrical
Troubleshooting Manual. The schematic shows
the electrical current paths when a circuit is
operating properly. It is essential to under-
stand how a circuit should work before trying to
figure out why it doesn't.
The Harness Connector Faces show the cav-
ity or terminal locations in all the multi-pin
connectors shown in the schematic. Together
with the wire colors and terminals given in the
schematic, they help you locate test points. The
drawings show the connector faces you see
after the harness connector has been discon-
nected from a component. When more than one
connector is connected to a component the con-
nectors are all shown together.
The Troubleshooting Hints offer short-cuts
or checks to help you determine the cause of a
complaint. They are not intended to be a rigid
procedure for solving an electrical situation.
Rather, Troubleshooting Hints represent a
common-sense approach, based on an under-
standing of the circuit.
The System Check gives a summary of how
the circuit should be operated and what should
happen. This is especially important when you
are working on a new system. The System
Check will help you identify symptoms, lead
you to diagnosis and confirm the system after
repair.
The System Diagnosis provides a procedure
to follow that will locate the condition in a cir-
cuit. If your own knowledge of the system and
the Troubleshooting Hints have not produced a
quick fix, follow the System Diagnosis. All pro-
cedures are based on symptoms to assist you in
locating the condition as fast as possible.
The Circuit Operation will help you under-
stand the circuit. It describes the components
and how the circuit works.
The Component Location List helps you find
where the parts of the circuit are in the vehicle.
A brief statement of the location is given and
also a reference to a drawing that shows the
component and its connecting wires. These
Component Location Views are in cell 201.
Harness Routing Views are found in cell 203.
These views show the routing of the major wir-
ing harnesses and the in-line connectors
between the major harnesses. These views will
make troubleshooting easier when you are not
sure about harness routing.
PAGE NUMBER
This section is organized into cells with most
cells containing a circuit schematic and the text
for that circuit. This makes the section easy to
use, since the page number for a schematic will
normally stay the same year after year, and it
will also be the same in all the GM publications
about that circuit. For example, the Cruise Con-
trol schematics will always be the first pages of
cell 34. The other information for Cruise Con-
trol follows them on pages 34-2,34-3, etc.
Some cells may have more than one circuit
schematic, such as Power Distribution, Interior
Lights, and Air Conditioning. The circuit you
want can either be located by using the index, or
by a quick look through the related cell.
All the engine circuits for a particular engine
VIN type are in the same cell. This makes that
cell easy to use, since schematics for other cars
are not in your way. The instrument panel sche-
matics are organized similarly. If you are work-
ing on a car with a Digital Cluster, only the
schematics that apply to that car's Digital
Cluster will be in the cell you use. Information
on the Indicators and Gages Clusters will be in
other cells.
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